Winnebago County Forest Preserve may rebrand with new name, logo

Wednesday

Nov 6, 2013 at 4:00 PM

By Kevin HaasRockford Register Star

ROCKFORD — The agency charged with preserving the local ecosystem may rebrand itself with a new name and logo.

Winnebago County Forest Preserve District officials want a new moniker for their signs, shirts, vehicles and other property. A name change also would communicate the district’s status as an independent agency, rather than a branch of Winnebago County government. The Winnebago County Board governed the forest preserve until 2010, when a new independent board of commissioners took over the job.

The goal of rebranding is “to establish and separate our identity from all the other agencies and bring a fresh new look to what we’re doing,” said Mike Holan, the district’s executive director.

Forest preserve officials recently completed the first strategic plan since the independent board was formed, and they’re working to develop new programs, Holan said.

“We might put all those things together as a re-grand opening, so to speak,” Holan said.

The district’s current logo — actually, the agency uses three or four similar-looking logos — depicts a rising sun shining behind two nondescript trees. It was designed by a staff member in the 1980s and was tweaked once in the past decade, said Jamie Johannsen, director of marketing and communications for the district. The logo’s look has drawn some criticism, Holan said.

“Some of the comments have been that it looks like lightning struck the trees, or the trees are on fire, or there was an explosion,” Holan said.

The name change could be as simple as flipping the wording to Forest Preserve of Winnebago County, to help remind people it is separate from Winnebago County government. Or, it could make a more drastic change to Four Rivers Forest Preserve District, a salute to the Rock, Kishwaukee, Sugar and Pecatonica rivers that flow through northern Illinois.

The Hennepin County Park Reserve District in Minnesota made a similar change in 2012, switching its name to Three Rivers Park District. Forest preserve districts in Kane, DuPage and Cook counties all went through recent logo changes.

Holan said commissioners and staff members will provide input on a potential new name and logo before they are sent to a design company. It may also open the decision-making process to the public when considering final possibilities. A new logo would be selected by spring at the earliest.

Commissioner Randy Olson said during a meeting last week that the district shouldn’t push for the change at a time when the budget is so tight that it can’t afford to replace its signs. The district did not have an estimate of the cost of rebranding.

Holan said the district would make replacements in stages in order to make it budget friendly, including cycling in new signs when they would ordinarily need replacement.

Kevin Haas: 815-987-1410; khaas@rrstar.com; @KevinMHaas

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